Tag: Seattle

Seahawks rank dead last in offensive line spending (again)

Over time you see certain patterns develop within certain organizations around the NFL.

Over time you see certain patterns develop within certain organizations around the NFL. To name a few, the Eagles tend to have a dominant defensive line, the Seahawks always have a strong wide receiver corps, the Steelers usually have a superb run game and the Bears have been searching for a star quarterback for roughly 100 years.

One thing you can usually count on for Seattle is the offensive line being a liability, as was the case for most of the Pete Carroll era. Missing on several first-round draft picks didn’t help, but in recent years the issue has been a lack of investment. Last season the Seahawks spent less money on their offensive line than any other team in the league. According to Jason Fitzgerald at Over the Cap, that’s the case again this year.

 

To review, at OT the Seahawks have Charles Cross and Abe Lucas on their rookie contracts and there’s no guarantee either one will be re-signed for longer than that. At center they’re likely to start Olu Oluwatimi, who’s played 128 offensive snaps in his career. At right guard rookie Christian Haynes is projected to start and at left guard they splurged for Laken Tomlinson, who’s at the tail end of his career and has a cap hit of just barely over $1 million.

Actually hitting on an offensive line draft pick and signing them to a second contract would help in this department, but whether they are home-grown or outside free agents, either way they’ll eventually have to pay a couple of proven veterans in order to field a good unit, here.

General manager John Schneider may have a point about guards being overdrafted and overpaid, but it’s starting to look like the entire front line may be a blind spot for him – and this wasn’t just an issue for Pete Carroll alone.

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Mike Jerrell comments on his pre-draft visit to Seattle

Jerrell is seen largely as a project, as many believed he would go undrafted.

We live in divided times. Folks around this country are divided on just about everything. Politics, pop culture, and of course, sports. People of Seattle and the Pacific Northwest are no different. But if there is one thing everyone in this area can find common ground on is the beauty of the area is.

We are fortunate to live in such a gorgeous sliver of our planet, and the newest Seattle Seahawk seems to agree. Selected in the sixth round out of Findlay, offensive tackle Mike Jerrell spoke recently about his pre-draft visit to Seattle. The Oilers alum marveled at the stunning scenery of the Emerald City.

I believe you would be hard pressed to find those who would disagree with you, Mr. Jerrell.

Jerrell is seen largely as a project, as many believed he would go undrafted. However, he has unique athleticism for an offensive lineman, which likely intrigued the Seahawks to take a flier on what they might be able to work with. Fortunately, by drafting Christian Haynes and Sataoa Laumea ahead of him, Seattle does not have a dire need for Jerrell to be a finished product by September of this year.

So for now, Jerrell can sit back, work hard, and take in the beauty of our city.

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Mike Macdonald on what Byron Murphy II brings to the table for Seahawks

After the Seahawks selected Murphy in the first round of the draft, Macdonald gushed to reporters about what he can do for this team.

If you can’t get excited about seeing what Byron Murphy can do working under the best defensive playcaller in the NFL, then we can’t help you.

After the Seahawks selected Murphy in the first round of the draft, Macdonald gushed to reporters about what he can do for this team.

The standard for Macdonald’s Ravens defense last season was set by Justin Madubuike, who totaled 13 sacks, 33 quarterback hits and 12 tackles for a loss. While it wouldn’t be fair to hold Murphy to anything approaching that production as a rookie, the hope is that Seattle is getting a similar super-disruptive force for their interior pass rush.

With Leonard Williams lining up on the other side of Jarran Reed it’s going to be tough for opponents to double team Murphy, which should open up a lot of opportunities for him. Pressure compounds and the more pass rushers the Seahawks can put on the field the more likely they’ll be able to wreck other teams’ backfields the way their own has been for so many years. That’s why we think the one missing piece they need most right now is another plus edge rusher to backup Uchenna Nwosu and Boye Mafe.

It’s possible they have already found him, though. Undrafted free agent Nelson Ceasar out of Houston had a fifth-round grade and should be able to break into the rotation as a rookie. Our latest projection has him making the initial 53-man roster.

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Let’s see if we can guess which ones will make the roster for the regular season and which ones won’t.

The Seattle Seahawks have eight new draft picks coming in and over a dozen undrafted free agents this weekend. Let’s see if we can guess which ones will make the roster for the regular season and which ones won’t. Here is our updated 53-man roster projection after the 2024 NFL draft.

Offense

Offensively the main changes are in the backfield and up front. Sam Howell is now backing up Geno Smith in place of Drew Lock and undrafted free agent George Holani is currently slotted as the fourth running back. Meanwhile, the interior offensive line has been totally made over, with Laken Tomlinson, Olu Oluwatimi and Christian Haynes slated to replace Damien Lewis, Evan Brown and Phil Haynes, respectively. At tight end AJ Barner is the next-man-up behind Noah Fant, while Washington’s Jack Westover is bringing up the rear. We also have undrafted wide receiver Dee Williams making the cut at the bottom of the depth chart as a punt returner.

Defense

On this side of the ball Texas defensive tackle Byron Murphy II has joined a loaded group up front next to Leonard Williams. On the edge, undrafted rookie Nelson Ceasar replaces Levi Bell, who the team waived yesterday. At linebacker, Tyrice Knight is now backing up projected starters Tyrel Dodson and Jerome Baker. On the back end of the defense, Auburn cornerbacks Nehemiah Pritchett and D.J. James have pushed out veterans Mike Jackson and Artie Burns.

Special teams

Our projection for the specialists unit remains unchanged aside from Dee Williams replacing Dee Eskridge as a return option. Let’s get to the full 53.

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Seahawks and 49ers both in contact with free agent LB Jamal Adams

As unreliable as Adams has been in coverage we still expect him to find a home somewhere in the NFL.

Jamal Adams may have been the most unpopular player on the Seahawks last season. That doesn’t mean that he doesn’t have value, though.

If you need evidence look no further than the reporting from Bob Condotta at the Seattle Times earlier this week, which states that Seattle is still in contact with Adams and other teams are interested as well, including the 49ers.

Head coach Mike Macdonald and general manager John Schneider have both said they’re open to Adams returning. However, it would be as an off-ball linebacker rather than a safety.

That’s probably the way to go with any team that signs Adams, measurables aside. While he can still make a positive impact in the box as a run defender and pass rusher Adams has been inconsistent at best in coverage. His career PFF grades in this department by year illustrate how wild the ride has been:

  • 2017: 65.5
  • 2018: 89.6
  • 2019: 87.5
  • 2020: 53.1
  • 2021: 47.4
  • 2022: 81.0 *eight coverage snaps*
  • 2023: 50.7

As unreliable as Adams has been in coverage we still expect him to find a home somewhere in the NFL now that free agent signings no longer count towards the comp pick formula. If the Seahawks do sign him he would project as a backup behind Jerome Baker and Tyrel Dodson at iLB.

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Devon Witherspoon discusses Seahawks’ transition at head coach

Here’s what Witherspoon had to say about the transition.

Seahawks second-year cornerback Devon Witherspoon didn’t speak with the media much last season, which is the case for all rookies. We should get to hear from him more this year and on Wednesday we got a sample when Witherspoon had his first press conference as a member of the team.

Here’s what Witherspoon had to say about going from Pete Carroll to Mike Macdonald as head coach.

Witherspoon will be a key component of Macdonald’s defense in Year 1. Last season he split time at the left boundary and in the slot, where he really shined as a disruptive playmaker. If the Seahawks can manage to add a promising young left corner in the draft it would free Spoon to wreak havoc in the slot full-time. That’s one of many angles we will be watching in next week’s 2024 NFL draft.

Either way, we are eagerly looking forward to what Witherspoon does in Year 2. If he can improve on his tackling he will soon be one of the best defensive backs in the league.

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Leonard Williams says the Seahawks are ‘locked in on a different level’

Given his experience we may see Williams in a leadership role this coming season.

Yesterday several Seahawks players spoke with the media at the VMAC as the offseason program continues.

Defensive lineman Leonard Williams was one. He says there’s a sense of urgency right now and everyone is locked in on a different level under the direction of first-year head coach Mike Macdonald.

Given his experience we may see Williams in a leadership role this coming season. In the absence of Bobby Wagner he is arguably the most-logical candidate to become the team’s new defensive captain.

At the very least we know Williams can lead by example. While he’s only made one Pro Bowl team in his career he has been performing at a high level for 10 seasons now. After the trade from the Giants Williams was Seattle’s best and most conistent defender down the stretch last year. He finished with four sacks, 11 quarterback hits and nine tackles for a loss in just 10 games with the Seahawks.

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